Month: January 2012
The Invisible War
The Invisible War offers an intimate glimpse into one of America’s deepest secrets. Sexual violence against women in the military has reached epidemic levels, and high-level officials are systematically sweeping these cases under the rug. … read more
Detropia
Creating a documentary focused on a place, rather than a person or an event, is no easy task. Detropia could have easily been an incoherent mess of interviews with unemployed autoworkers and cutaways to the often-photographed crumbling buildings of inner city Detroit. Luckily, Ewing and Grady have created something that moves beyond the typical clichés of Detroit. … read more
Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present
Following performance artist Marina Abramovic during her three-month 2010 MoMA exhibition, this beautifully executed documentary gives the audience an intimate look into the life of one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. … read more
Excision
In his directorial debut, Richard Bates racks up multiple points for the fucked up in this twisted horror-story-meets-teen-comedy. AnnaLynne McCord steps out of her usual “vixen” roles to play Pauline—a greasy, acne-ridden teenager with bizarre sexual fantasies centered on performing surgery on strangers … read more
The Ambassador
Mads Brügger returns to the world of documentary filmmaking with another voyeuristic hidden camera journey that transports viewers into more undesirable territories. His latest secretive expedition covertly places audiences in the middle of the Central African Republic while Brügger poses as a foreign business diplomat attempting to set up a faux organization in order to leave with a briefcase full of diamonds.
The Words
“The Words” is a fascinating multi-layered drama that sets one story upon another upon another, forcing viewers to question their own morals and the amount of compassion we can share with those who have made terrible mistakes. … read more
Filly Brown
An LA-bred Latina with some attitude and musical talent, “Mojo” Tonorio, aka Filly Brown (Gina Rodriguez), aspires to be a hip hop artist while dealing with various familial conflicts, including an imprisoned mother and a father struggling to keep his job. … read more
The Raid
Rama is the latest addition to an Indonesian SWAT team. They have been given an order overtake a 30-story building complex owned by a legendary gangster and housing the city’s worst criminals. With hundreds of henchmen prepared to die for their supplier, Rama is about to put his policing skills to the ultimate test. … read more
About Face
Portrait photographer turned director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders points a video camera instead of his usual photography setup at a group of the most celebrated models in “About Face” to discuss the history of the profession.
China Heavyweight
In 1959, Chinese President Mao banned the sport of boxing for being too violent and American. Thirty years later, the ban was lifted and the communist country has embraced the sport in a fashion that can develop young children into proud representatives of their culture.